In a milestone moment for the Asian art scene, the much-anticipated M+ Museum will open its doors on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour waterfront on 12 November 2021. Set to become a destination for local, regional, and international visitors, M+ seeks to foster exchange between Hong Kong and the global art community.
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup, the 65,000 sq m M+ building – with terracotta tile-clad tower – is already one of Hong Kong’s most iconic architectural landmarks.
The museum’s opening displays will see 1,500 works shown across 33 galleries and 17,000 sq m of exhibition space. Six thematic exhibitions have been curated from M+’s multidisciplinary contemporary collection, which spans conceptual art, moving image, design, architectural projects and archival objects.
In the Main Hall Gallery, ‘Hong Kong: Here and Beyond’ traces the city’s transformation and unique visual culture from the 1960s to the present. ‘M+ Sigg Collection: From Revolution to Globalisation’ surveys the development of contemporary Chinese art from the 1970s to the 2000s. In the East Galleries, ‘Things, Spaces, Interactions’ focuses on the last 70 years of international architecture and design and ‘Individuals, Networks, Expressions’ occupies the East Galleries and explores post-war international visual art told from an Asian perspective.
Elsewhere, ‘Antony Gormley: Asian Field’ sees an installation of tens of thousands of clay figurines. The work was created by the British sculptor in 2003 with over 300 members of a Guangdong village. Finally, in the Courtyard Galleries, ‘The Dream of the Museum’ explores M+’s distinctive vision for global conceptual art anchored in Asia.
‘The official opening of M+ marks a major milestone in delivering the vision for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District as a vital contribution to the future of Hong Kong, building on its reputation as one of the world’s leading arts and cultural hubs. We will make M+ a must-visit destination for local, regional, and international visitors,’ says Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.
Beyond its core exhibition galleries, M+ will present a series of commissions and displays throughout its public spaces, including the M+ Facade, the Grand Stair, the Studio, the Roof Garden, and the Found Space. The M+ Pavilion – which served as the primary venue for M+ exhibitions while the museum was being constructed – will continue to host independent exhibitions and cultural activities in the Art Park after the M+ Museum opens.
‘I firmly believe that the future history of the art museum will be written to a significant degree in Asia,’ says Suhanya Raffel, M+ museum director. ‘Few institutions will be more pivotal to that story than M+, a brand new centre for visual culture and a world-class landmark for a great international city. M+ delivers the stories from our part of the world, told by voices participating in and influencing the global conversation.’ §
